2010
Parents in Partnership
A PARENT
ENGAGEMENT
POLICY
FOR ONTARIO
SCHOOLS
Parents in Partnership
A PARENT
ENGAGEMENT
POLICY
FOR ONTARIO
SCHOOLS
2 010
A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF EDUC ATION
Parents matter in education. They matter as vital partners who contribute much to the work of
our educators, schools, and communities. They matter as parent leaders, parent mentors, and
models of commitment to excellence in education, and they matter every day as they influence
and support their children’s academic achievement.
As a former trustee, board chair, and director on the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’
Association – and the mother of four children – I know first-hand the importance of being an
involved parent, and I appreciate the difference parents can make when they work in partnership
with the education system towards common goals. Today, as Minister of Education, I have the
privilege of introducing this province’s first comprehensive parent engagement policy, which
I believe to be a landmark for education in Ontario.
This important policy formally recognizes and supports the vision of our schools as places of
partnership and respect, where every parent feels included. It builds on and strengthens the vital
relationships between parents and schools, school boards, and the Ministry of Education. It sets
new directions to help ensure that all partners will have the skills, knowledge, and tools they need
to build positive partnerships and continue moving our vision of parent engagement forward.
This policy is only one of many initiatives our government has brought forward to support
parent engagement in Ontario schools. The Parent Engagement Office was established to
develop and implement parent engagement initiatives that support student achievement and
well-being across the province. It was recently aligned with the Inclusive Education Branch of
the ministry, recognizing parent engagement as an essential component of Ontario’s Equity
and Inclusive Education Strategy.
The Parents Reaching Out grants program continues to support local projects that remove
barriers to parent engagement. Important new initiatives such as the Full-Day Early Learning
Kindergarten Program, and the expansion of Parenting and Family Literacy Centres, further
support the early involvement of parents in their children’s education and in the education
system.
In addition, the new regulatory requirement that every board in the province have a Parent
Involvement Committee means that parents have a voice within our schools, through school
councils across the province, as well as at the board level, where the communication of parent
perspectives is an important part of parent engagement.
In presenting Ontario’s Parent Engagement Policy, I would like to acknowledge the hundreds of
parents, educators, and community members whose insights and advice are reflected in the
pages of this document. As partners, we are making a difference for every child in Ontario and
building our shared social and economic future.
The Honourable Leona Dombrowsky
Minister of Education
CONTENTS
1. PARENT ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP
5
A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools
5
Ontario’s Vision of Parent Engagement
7
What We Know About Parent Engagement
7
Parent Engagement: The Historical Context
13
Moving the Agenda Forward
14
2. FULFILLING THE VISION OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT
16
Strategies for Success
16
Strategy 1: School Climate
17
Strategy 2: Eliminating Barriers
19
Strategy 3: Supports for Parents
20
Strategy 4: Parent Outreach
22
3. PARENT ENGAGEMENT ACTION PLAN
25
Building on Sound Foundations
25
School Actions
28
Board Actions
29
Ministry Actions
31
Une publication équivalente est disponible en français sous le titre suivant :
Partenariat avec les parents : Politique de participation des parents pour les
écoles de l’Ontario, 2010.
This publication is available on the Ministry of Education’s website, at
www.edu.gov.on.ca
3
1. PARENT ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP
Parents play a vital role in education. When parents are engaged and involved,
everyone – students, parents and families, teachers, schools, and communities
– benefits, and our schools become increasingly rich and positive places to
teach, learn, and grow.
A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools
As a ministry, we have clearly articulated the government’s vision of a
province in which all Ontarians have the opportunity to be their best and
contribute fully to a strong, vital, and caring society. We have made significant
investments in publicly funded education, and will continue to do so, because
our fundamental commitment to students’ well-being remains the driving
force behind everything we do. We know that parents1 likewise want Ontario’s
schools to bring out the very best in their children and help them reach
their full potential.
Study after study has shown that student learning and achievement improve
when parents play an active role in their children’s education and that good
schools become even better when parents are involved. The purpose of
Ontario’s Parent Engagement Policy is to provide the supports needed to
connect parents at the local level and to help ensure that they have the
skills, knowledge, and tools they need to engage fully in their children’s
education and in the life of their schools. Designed to promote exemplary
1. Throughout this policy, the term parents refers to parents, guardians, and caregivers.
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Parents in Partnership
practices across the province, the policy fulfils the government’s commitment
to support and enhance parent engagement in Ontario schools by:
• articulating a vision of parent engagement in Ontario schools;
• identifying the strategies necessary to fulfil the vision of parent
engagement and support Ontario’s core priorities for education;
• identifying and removing discriminatory biases and systemic barriers in
order to allow participation of all parents in their children’s schools,
with the goal of supporting student learning and helping to close the
achievement gap;
• promoting specific parent involvement practices that are known to
positively influence student learning and achievement;
• identifying the roles of education partners – including the ministry,
school boards, schools, Parent Involvement Committees, and school
councils – in furthering parent engagement across the province.
Parent Engagement in Action
Many exemplary parent engagement programs and initiatives
have been developed by schools and school boards, the Ministry
of Education, faculties of education, and community organizations
across Ontario. The ”Parent Engagement in Action” sidebars in this
document illustrate some of the ways in which these organizations
are breaking down barriers to parent engagement and supporting
parents as welcomed and valued partners in education.
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Parent Engagement and Partnership
Ontario’s Vision of Parent Engagement
The Parent Engagement Policy is grounded in a vision of parents that
acknowledges their importance both as valued partners and active
participants in their children’s education.
Vision
In Ontario’s education system, all partners acknowledge the positive
impact of parent engagement on student achievement. Students are
supported and inspired to learn in a culture of high expectations in
which parents:
• are welcomed, respected, and valued by the school community
as partners in their children’s learning and development;
• have opportunities to be involved, and also a full range of
choices about how to be involved, in the educational community
to support student success;
• are engaged through ongoing communication and dialogue
with other educational partners to support a positive learning
environment at home and at school;
• are supported with the information and tools necessary to
participate in school life.
What We Know About Parent Engagement
Parents play a vital role in the development and education of their children.
Parents and families, with the support of their school and community, have
the primary responsibility for the development of their children’s character.
In addition, research clearly indicates that good schools become better
schools when they are strongly connected with parents as part of the learning
community. Thus, parents not only play an important role within the school
community, but they also have a significant impact on their children’s
education through the attitudes they help to shape and the direct support
they provide to their children.
7
Parents in Partnership
Parents have a primary influence on their
children’s attitudes towards school, their
Parent Engagement
learning, and their future success. Research has
in Action
shown that positive parental aspirations and
The Durham District School Board
expectations for their children’s educational
developed a parent partnership
achievement have a strong relationship with
initiative designed to increase
children’s actual achievement. The greater
the involvement of culturally and
the support that families provide for their
linguistically diverse parents. This
children’s learning and educational progress,
initiative involved the translation
the more likely that their children will do
of parent information and welcome
well in school and continue on with their
packages into nine languages, a
education.2 Parents need to hold high aspirations
guide to multilingual literacy
and expectations for their children, and schools
events for schools to use on
need to work in partnership with parents so
literacy nights, and a parent
that the home and the school can share in
information forum for Muslim
these expectations and support learning.3
families on various topics such
The positive results of a genuine partnership
as supporting literacy at home,
between parents and schools include improved
assessments, evaluations, report
student achievement, reduced absenteeism,
cards, and the Ontario curriculum.
positive student behaviour, and increased
confidence among parents in their children’s
schooling. Such results, in turn, have a positive impact on our province as
we seek to develop and sustain a cohesive society and a strong economy
that will secure Ontario’s future prosperity.
Challenges and Opportunities
Today’s global, knowledge-based, and technology-intensive economy
makes the ongoing work in our schools critical to students’ success in life
and to Ontario’s economic future. At the same time, our rapidly changing,
diverse, and increasingly complex society presents many challenges – and
often competing priorities – for parents.
With their busy lives, it can be challenging for parents to play as active a
role as they would like in their children’s education. Research has shown
2. K. L. Mapp, “Having Their Say: Parents Describe Why and How They Are Engaged in Their Children’s
Learning,” School Community Journal 13, no. 1 (2002), pp. 35–64.
3. J. Hattie, Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-analyses Relating to Achievement
(New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 70.
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Parent Engagement and Partnership
that parent involvement can be influenced by many factors such as language,
parent educational level, the challenges of single parenthood, attitudes of
school staff, cultural influences, socio-economic status, and geography
(for example, the local challenges facing urban, rural, and northern
communities). As well, parent engagement tends to lessen at the secondary
school level, resulting in, for example, reduced parent volunteerism. In
addition, parents sometimes come from countries where the school culture
and opportunities to participate in school activities are different from those
in Ontario. Access to knowledge about Ontario’s
educational system and how they may become
more involved in their child’s education are
Parent Engagement
essential for such parents.
in Action
If society presents challenges to parent
As part of a pédagogie culturelle
engagement in education, it also offers new
project, the Conseil scolaire
ways to engage parents. In particular, new
catholique de district des Grandes
technology expands the possibilities for
Rivières offers a workshop,
communication and parental engagement.
Reaching Out to You, to raise
Technology is increasingly woven into our
awareness among non-Frenchsocial fabric. A recent poll showed that eight
speaking parents about the
out of ten Canadians have Internet access at
school’s French-language mandate
home.4 A decade ago, social networking was
and the resources available to them
merely a concept. Today, there are hundreds
to support their children during
of millions of people worldwide using social
their schooling. The workshop
networking tools as an integral part of their
also enables parents who are
daily lives. As our access to information
dealing with similar experiences
technology continues to expand, a variety of
to create a support network.
online tools and strategies are now available –
and are being used – to engage parents.
Increasingly, information is being made available in a
variety of forms that can be viewed, heard, or read anywhere and at
anytime. Maximizing the use of these technologies is essential as we
approach parent engagement in the twenty-first century.
4. Ipsos Reid poll, released October 2009, http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=4567
9
Parents in Partnership
Parent Engagement in Practice
As our society changes, views of parent engagement and parent involvement
are also constantly evolving. Joyce Epstein, an expert on educational
partnerships, notes that homework no longer means only “work that
students do alone but also [means] interactive
activities that students have and discuss with
others at home and in the community to link
Parent Engagement
schoolwork to real-life experiences.”5 The
in Action
concept of help at home refers to families
The Catholic District School Board
encouraging, listening to, praising, guiding,
of Eastern Ontario developed a
monitoring, and discussing schoolwork with
strategy, Creating Communities of
their children, and not whether or how they
Peace, designed to help create
teach school subjects. Volunteer means not only
safe and caring community
someone who helps out at school during the
schools that respect individuality,
day but also anyone who supports school goals
celebrate harmony, and strive to
and children’s learning and development in
promote and develop responsible
any way, at any place, and at any time.
behaviour based on Gospel
We recognize, increasingly, that student wellbeing is a holistic concept that, as noted by the
World Health Organization in 1984, includes
not only physical health but also a combination
of social, emotional, mental, moral, spiritual,
and cognitive dimensions.6 All partners in
education need to make a conscious and
collective effort to work together to build and
promote the well-being of students.
values. The strategy focuses on
restorative justice and progressive
discipline, and addresses the rights
and responsibilities of students,
school staff, and parents.
Implications for Policy Development
Our policies must evolve to recognize changing conditions as we strive to
support student achievement and well-being. Ontario’s Parent Engagement
Policy recognizes that parent engagement encompasses a broad spectrum
of activities and may take many forms as lives and circumstances change.
5. J. L. Epstein, L. Coates, K. C. Salinas, M. G. Sanders, and B. Simon, School, Family, Community
Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, 3rd ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 1997), p. 156.
6. World Health Organization, Health Promotion: A Discussion Document on the Concept and
Principles (Geneva: World Health Organization, 1984).
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Parent Engagement and Partnership
The policy acknowledges all aspects of the
important parental role in education. These
include providing home conditions that
support children as learners at all grade levels,
supporting parent peers, and taking parent
leadership roles. Some parents play a leadership
role and serve on school councils, Parent
Involvement Committees (PICs), or Special
Education Advisory Committees (SEACs).
Some volunteer for field trips or help with
various school activities. Parents meet with
teachers to discuss their children’s needs,
progress, and goals, and they attend assemblies,
performances, and sports events. Many parents
read to their children every night or talk to
them about their school day. These activities all
reflect engaged parents who are contributing to
their children’s education.
An effective parent engagement policy must
acknowledge the importance of parent voice by
providing multiple ways for parents to express
their perspectives on education and to receive
responses from other educational partners. We
must recognize the tireless efforts of parents
who share their time, energy, dedication, and
commitment to support student learning.
Likewise, we must recognize that strong and
effective parent engagement begins with
parents supporting parents at the local and
regional levels – through vehicles such as
school councils and PICs.
Parent Engagement
in Action
St Aloysius School in Stratford
developed a weekly tutoring
program to help parents work
with struggling readers. The
program also provides the
opportunity for parents to come
into the school to learn from other
parents who have been trained in
implementing special literacy
support models for use at home.
Parenting and Family Literacy
Centres (PFLCs) provide an early
learning program that promotes
positive parent-child interaction
with young children in a schoolbased setting. PFLCs lay the
foundations for successful
transition to school, familiarizing
children and their families with
school routines and encouraging
parents to take an active part in
their children’s learning. They also
help link families to community
resources available for children
with special needs and to health
and other services.
Leithwood and his colleagues note the
importance of the “family path” to support student achievement.7 It is
important that all partners in education support this path. For example,
many families have questions about how to relate to and support their
7. K. Leithwood, S. E. Anderson, B. Mascall, and T. Strauss, “School Leaders’ Influences on Student
Learning: The Four Paths”, in The Principles of Educational Leadership and Management, ed. T. Bush,
L. Bell, and D. Middlewood (London: Sage Publications, 2009).
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Parents in Partnership
children’s learning from the early years through
adolescence. Various activities, such as workshops
for parents, can strengthen parenting skills
related to their children’s education and provide
parents with a greater understanding of their
options for involvement. Such activities can
offer helpful strategies and approaches, such as
active forms of reading, specific literacy or math
skills, or tip sheets that parents can use to help
their children learn. Through shared experiences,
these activities create an awareness of the
challenges relating to parental involvement in
education. Important connections are made
and effective responses are shared among families.
A successful parent engagement policy must
break down barriers that exist for many parents
in order to help support all parents with the
skills and knowledge they need to be engaged
and involved in supporting student achievement.
Parent Engagement
in Action
York Region District School
Board has developed a parent
engagement audit designed
to identify barriers to, and
increase opportunities for, parent
engagement. The audit, designed
as a system survey, is distributed
to parents and staff at the end
of the school year. A practical
application of Epstein’s six-part
typology of parent engagement,
the audit takes the needs of
families and the surrounding
community into account, with
the goal of increasing parent
engagement in a variety of ways.
In addition, an effective parent engagement
policy must actively seek to establish an
understanding of families’ backgrounds, cultures, interests, concerns, goals,
needs, and views of their children. Research has shown that school practices
to involve families make a difference in whether or not – and which – families
become involved, as well as how they become involved. Parent engagement
is nurtured when parents know how to make meaningful contributions to
the school’s efforts and when they believe that school staff, as well as their
own children, value their participation in the school.8 A parent engagement
policy that supports positive links through thoughtful, concrete actions
contributes to a general awareness that all parents and families are welcomed
at schools. Such awareness encourages a sense of connectedness, community,
ownership, and belonging. Studies have shown that this type of inclusive
learning environment results in more students experiencing greater success
in school.
To establish the most inclusive learning environment, communication is
essential. Effective communication helps break down barriers by establishing
8. K. Leithwood and D. Jantzi, A Critical Review of the Parent Engagement Literature
(Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006).
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Parent Engagement and Partnership
a common language and understanding of student progress, which, in turn,
helps to create a culture of high expectations that is shared by students,
parents, and educators.
Many Ontario school boards and schools have developed effective parent
engagement practices and programs. The success of the Parents Reaching
Out (PRO) grants program and the excellent work of school councils and
Parent Involvement Committees demonstrate that strong and effective
parent engagement is happening at the local and regional level. But barriers
to parent involvement still exist. Together we need to identify and overcome
those barriers while creating the conditions in which parent engagement
can thrive.
This policy represents the government’s formal commitment to parent
engagement in education. It recognizes both the diversity of families and
their important role in education. It provides a framework that will
empower all educational partners and enable them to take concrete actions
to support and encourage parent engagement so that our students can
reach their full potential.
Parent Engagement: The Historical Context
Our schools have inherited a rich tradition of parent and community
involvement in education. This involvement has reflected a variety of
experiences and perspectives, including those of the Catholic and French
educational communities.
The provincial government has taken a number of steps to foster parent
involvement in education. In 1980, Bill 82 amended the Education Act to
require all school boards to provide programs and services for students
with special education needs. It also required that all school boards establish
a Special Education Advisory Committee with representatives from parent
groups focused on the interests and well-being of students with special
education needs.
Several initiatives to enhance parent involvement have focused on the
development of school councils. A 1994 report by the Ontario Parent
Council recommended the establishment of a “school parent council” in
every school to help ensure equity of access and consistency of approach for
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Parents in Partnership
parents across the province. The 1995 report of the Royal Commission
on Learning, For the Love of Learning, recommended that school boards
and principals take the lead in establishing and supporting schoolcommunity councils and encouraged them to develop the kinds of
school-community alliances best suited to their local needs. Legislation
mandating school councils followed in 1997 with the Education Quality
Improvement Act. The role and purpose of school councils was clarified
through Regulation 612/00, which required school boards and principals
to solicit input from school councils.
Moving the Agenda Forward
Recognizing the critical link between parent engagement and student
success, the government initiated the Parent Voice in Education Project,
which conducted broad consultations with parents across the province
and provided its report in 2005.
“Parental involvement is a broad term and includes such things as
good parenting, helping with homework, serving on school councils
and board committees, communicating and meeting with teachers
and volunteering in the classroom or on school trips. All forms of
parental involvement are beneficial. In every form, parental involvement
in education shows children that their parents care about what they
are doing and learning, and that they value a good education.”
Ontario Ministry of Education, Parent Voice in Education Project Report (2005, p. 10)
The report identified three key areas for action:
1. to empower the parent voice within the education system
2. to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for parents
3. to recognize the differences among Ontario’s diverse communities.
Through this landmark report, parents affirmed their belief in the
importance of parent engagement in education.
In the same year, the Minister of Education responded to the report with a
discussion paper laying out the blueprint for a vision of parent engagement
14
Parent Engagement and Partnership
in the school system – and we have acted upon this blueprint. Since 2005,
over $25 million has been invested to support parent engagement initiatives.
In 2006, the Parent Engagement Office was established in the ministry to
develop and implement parent engagement initiatives such as the Parents
Reaching Out grants program. Over its first four years, this program
provided over 5,500 grants to school councils and over 200 regional grants.
All of these initiatives were designed to enhance parent involvement and,
in particular, break down the barriers faced by many Ontario parents to
engagement in their children’s education.
Parent Involvement Committees were established in Ontario school boards
to enhance parent involvement in support of
student achievement at the regional level and
Parent Engagement
provide a direct link between parents and
in Action
the director of education and trustees. The
In partnership with anglophone
Provincial Parent Board (2007–9) provided
parents, the Conseil scolaire de
recommendations to enhance PICs, PRO
district catholique de l’Est ontarien
grants, and online resources, and helped guide
organized
a series of evening
and assist the province’s efforts to strengthen
literacy workshops. At these
parent engagement.
workshops, parents were able to
Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy,
work together with their children
introduced in 2009, sets out a vision of education
on reading and writing exercises
in Ontario in which all students, parents, and
and were given the opportunity to
other members of the school community are
engage constructively with their
welcomed and respected. Parent engagement is
children’s teachers.
an essential component of the strategy, which
provides a framework educators can use to
identify and remove discriminatory biases and
systemic barriers so that students can reach their full potential. The strategy
supports the engagement of all parents with their boards and schools to
share their ideas and support student learning.
In 2009, the government passed Bill 177, the Student Achievement and
School Board Governance Act, which allows regulations respecting Parent
Involvement Committees. The minister has responded to this legislation by
amending Regulation 612/00 to require each school board to have a PIC in
place to support parent engagement. PICs, like school councils, recognize
the role of parent leaders in supporting parent engagement, and they
enable a broad spectrum of parents to provide input to school boards.
15
2. FULFILLING THE VISION OF
PARENT ENGAGEMENT
The Parent Engagement Policy recognizes that parent involvement is
multidimensional and that parents and families have a role to play in fulfilling
each of Ontario’s core priorities for educational excellence.
Strategies for Success
The Parent Engagement Policy identifies a series of key strategies designed
to support parents as partners so that they have the opportunity – and the
skills, knowledge, and tools – to engage with other education partners in
fulfilling Ontario’s core priorities for education.
The policy acknowledges that Ontario’s education
system has a rich tradition of parent engagement
that continues today. Across the province, many
parents and families are actively involved in
their children’s education, both at home and
at school. For example, parents provide their
suggestions directly to the ministry through
letters, emails, phone calls, and conversations.
At the local and regional levels, parents are
engaged as members of school councils, Special
Education Advisory Committees (SEACs), and
Parent Involvement Committees (PICs), and in
a wide variety of initiatives at district school
boards across Ontario. Parent perspectives are
taken into consideration and recognized in
ministry policies and programs.
16
Parent Engagement
in Action
Jean Vanier Catholic School in
London developed an initiative
called Putting Out the Welcome
Mat to help new parents become
more involved and connected
with the school. The initiative
included the translation of the
parent information handbook
and school website and the
offering of translation services for
parent-teacher meetings.
Fulfilling the Vision of Parent Engagement
The Parent Engagement Policy is designed to build on our successes and
bring into focus those activities and initiatives that encourage and enhance
parental involvement in education. It aims to ensure that parent engagement
is recognized, valued, collectively understood, and practised throughout the
province. It is designed to help ensure that barriers to parent engagement
are addressed across the province so that all parents can have full access to
the education system and meaningful representation as valued educational
partners.
Parent Perspectives
PARENT VOICE IN EDUCATION
The role parents play in education – both at home and at school –
has grown and evolved over many years. As we have come to
understand the direct links between parent engagement and student
achievement, the call for a greater focus on parent engagement is
stronger today than ever before. These links were highlighted in the
2005 report of the Parent Voice in Education Project, which made
recommendations, based on parents’ input, to strengthen the parent
voice in education and to create a more welcoming and inclusive
education system.
Strategy 1: School Climate
Foster and sustain a positive, welcoming school climate in which all
parent perspectives are encouraged, valued, and heard.
Current Policy and Practice
Many current policies, programs, and initiatives reflect and support this
strategy, as illustrated by the following selected examples:
• Parents are members of the Education Partnership Table, which
discusses substantive problems and issues facing the education system
and contributes to their successful resolution.
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Parents in Partnership
• Ontario’s Leadership Framework of effective
practices, sponsored by the Institute for
Education Leadership (IEL), identifies
practices, skills, knowledge, and attitudes
school and system leaders need in order to
effectively engage parents and promote
welcoming schools.
Parent Engagement
in Action
Sudbury’s Pius XII Catholic School
invited parents to attend a series
of one-day workshops that were
held once a month over a fivemonth period. During the
introductory session, parents
offered their ideas for workshop
topics. In the workshops that
followed, parents exchanged
ideas on the day’s topic in the
morning and listened to an expert
speaker in the afternoon.
• IPRCs take parents’ perspectives into
account when making a placement decision:
before considering placement in a special
education class, the IPRC considers whether
placement in a regular class, with appropriate
special education services, would meet the
pupil’s needs and is consistent with parental
preferences. If placement in a regular class
meets both of these criteria, then the IPRC is
required to decide in favour of placement in a regular class.
• The New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) includes resources focused
on teacher communication with parents.
• Ontario’s faculties of education support parent engagement by
developing teacher candidates’ ability to engage in productive parentteacher conversations to support student learning.
• The ministry publication Planning Entry to School: A Resource Guide
(2005) promotes a welcoming environment in schools and provides
examples of effective practices for parents and school staff.
• The welcoming guideline of the Policy Statement and Guidelines on the
Admission, Welcoming, and Support of Students in French-Language
Schools in Ontario (Ministry of Education, 2009) proposes that school
boards “set up, as required, an advisory committee whose composition
reflects the community’s in order to develop a protocol for welcoming
students and parents” (p. 4).
• Every school is required to have a safe schools team, of which at least one
member must be a parent. Principals are required to share with these
teams the results of school climate surveys, which are undertaken by all
schools every two years to gauge the school climate and promote a safe
and respectful environment where all students feel a sense of belonging.
18
Fulfilling the Vision of Parent Engagement
• Changes to the safe schools provisions of the Education Act and related
policies have been made so that parents are more aware of measures to
support positive student behaviour and promote progressive discipline.
A Culture of Mutual Respect
The Parent Engagement Policy is designed to ensure that parents have
a voice at every level of the education system to support a culture
of mutual respect for all – parents, students, teachers, school staff,
board and ministry personnel, and community members. Although
the decision-making responsibilities of principals, trustees, and board
and ministry officials are set out in legislation, the Parent Engagement
Policy supports and encourages education leaders to solicit and
consider parent opinions and input so that the recommendations
of parents are weighed, along with other relevant factors, in the
decision-making process.
Strategy 2: Eliminating Barriers
Identify and remove barriers to parent engagement that may prevent
some parents from fully participating in their children’s learning and to
reflect the diversity of our students and communities.
Current Policy and Practice
Many current policies, programs, and initiatives reflect and support this
strategy, as illustrated by the following selected examples:
• The ministry’s Parents Reaching Out grants program supports schoolbased initiatives focused on engaging parents who may experience
barriers as a result of language, recent immigration, poverty, newness
to Ontario’s school system, or other factors.
• The Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy directs school boards to
implement strategies that identify and remove discriminatory barriers
that limit engagement by students, parents, and the community, so that
diverse groups and the broader community have better board-level
representation and greater access to board initiatives.
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Parents in Partnership
• The Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework
outlines strategies and performance measures designed to facilitate
increased participation by First Nation, Métis, and Inuit parents,
students, communities, and organizations in supporting student
achievement and well-being.
• The Focus on Youth and the Community Use of Schools programs
are intended to reduce barriers to accessing both school spaces and
programming. They include active community outreach (including
outreach to parents) to facilitate community use of school facilities.
• The Education Act requires every district school board to have a
Special Education Advisory Committee. Regulation 464/97 sets the
composition for the SEACs and requires that school authorities also
have SEACs.
• Parent Involvement Committees and school councils provide a voice
that reflects the diversity of parents in their communities.
Strategy 3: Supports for Parents
Provide parents with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to
support student learning at home and at school.
Current Policy and Practice
Many current policies, programs, and initiatives reflect and support this
strategy, as illustrated by the following selected examples:
• The Parent Engagement Office of the Ministry of Education continues to
build awareness among parents of the importance of parent engagement.
• The ministry website and ministry publications provide in-depth
information on the education system as well as a wide variety of tools
and resources, including tips for parent-teacher conversations, to help
parents foster student learning at home.
“Parents Matter”, a Ministry of Education brochure on parent
engagement, and how parent engagement is building student success,
is available in multiple languages on the ministry’s website.
20
Fulfilling the Vision of Parent Engagement
• Fact sheets have been developed for parents
on a number of key topics including PIC
operations, healthy schools, inclusive
education, safe schools, and the Ontario
Code of Conduct.
• Finding Common Ground: Character
Development in Ontario Schools K–12
(Ministry of Education, 2006) highlights
the importance of parent and community
partnerships.
Parent Engagement
in Action
Leslieville Junior Public School
in Toronto invited the parents of
kindergarten children to participate
in a Family Literacy Evening.
The parents were welcomed,
encouraged to build peer networks,
and provided with strategies to
support their child’s literacy
development at home to help
prepare them for school.
• Effective Practices for Students with
Autism Spectrum Disorders (2007) is a
ministry resource guide that devotes a
chapter to parent involvement in program
planning for students with autism spectrum disorders.
• A series of video podcasts offered on the ministry’s abc123 website has
been designed for parents and provides practical ideas for reading at
bedtime, establishing routines, and getting organized for school.
• Shared Solutions: A Guide to Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Regarding
Programs and Services for Students with Special Education Needs (2007)
is a ministry resource guide for parents, schools, and the community
that helps facilitate effective communication and resolve conflicts when
they arise.
• Introductory material in all curriculum documents explains how parents
are an important partner in their child’s learning.
• The support guideline of the Policy Statement and Guidelines on the
Admission, Welcoming, and Support of Students in French-Language
Schools in Ontario (2009) proposes that school boards “ensure that
schools support and communicate with parents throughout their
child’s schooling” (p. 4).
• A Question and Answer Guide for Parents: Full-Day Kindergarten with
Programs Before and After School Hours (2010), a ministry brochure
for parents with children in full-day kindergarten, helps parents
understand the new program and answers some questions about
how it works and how it helps children.
21
Parents in Partnership
• Support materials for parents will be available to provide information
about learning activities in the ministry documents The Full-Day
Early Learning–Kindergarten Program, 2010–11 (Draft Version) and
The Extended-Day Program, 2010–11 (Draft Version) and about
complementary activities that parents can provide for their children
outside of the school day.
Strategy 4: Parent Outreach
Review and expand communication and outreach strategies such as local
workshops, presentations, tools, and resources, to share information and
strategies related to supporting learning at home and parent engagement
in schools.
Current Policy and Practice
Many current policies, programs, and initiatives reflect and support this
strategy, as illustrated by the following selected examples:
• Ontario’s Early Learning initiative strongly supports parent and family
engagement, stressing the importance of effective parent-school
communication and the role of parents, families, and communities in
children’s education.
• Multilingual materials have been developed for parents, including a
PRO grants brochure; a bullying-prevention pamphlet; parent guides
to helping their children with reading, writing, and mathematics; and
numerous tip sheets on topics such as helping children get ready for
school, helping them with homework, and communicating with teachers.
• At Parenting and Family Literacy Centres, staff work with a wide range
of learning materials that are used to promote literacy and numeracy
and that can be easily adapted for parent-child activities at home.
• The aménagement linguistique policy for French-language schools
(see Aménagement linguistique: A Policy for Ontario’s French-Language
Schools and Francophone Community [2004]) promotes strong collaboration
between educational institutions, parents, families, and the community.
22
Fulfilling the Vision of Parent Engagement
• The School/College/Work Initiative funds the
creation of a wide array of locally developed
learning and awareness opportunities for
parents and others (e.g., Parents as Career
Coaches forums, Parents and Students
Career Night, Picture Your Kid @ College,
and Student/Parent Dual Credit Information
Sessions).
• Schools participating in the Healthy Schools
Recognition Program work with their school
councils and are encouraged to work together
with other parents, students, and school staff.
• The Specialist High Skills Major Program
encourages participating school boards to
invite parents to sit on board or school advisory
committees to help shape the local program.
Parent Engagement
in Action
St Anthony’s Elementary School in
Port Hope has developed a project
to better engage parents in the
school community and make
resources available to them. After
consulting with the school council on
the needs of its parent community,
the school established a library
of resources available to parents,
focusing on a variety of topics
including learning styles, parenting,
discipline, and other issues relevant
to education. Materials were
placed in a prominent area in the
school foyer so parents have easy
access to them and can sign them
out in the front office.
• The ministry’s Transition Planning: Resource
Guide (2002) encourages collaboration
between students, parents, and the community
in planning transitions for students with
special education needs from secondary school to postsecondary education,
the workplace, and/or the community.
• The Urban and Priority High Schools Program includes parent engagement
components. In addition, parents are members of Urban and Priority
High Schools school/community steering committees.
• Parent associations are participants in Curriculum Advisory Committee
meetings and are invited to provide input into curriculum documents
during the review process.
• Special education training materials developed by the ministry support
communication between parents, the school, and the community
(see, for example, the definitions of parental role and involvement in
The Individual Education Plan [IEP]: A Resource Guide [2004] and
web-based IEP training materials).
23
Parents in Partnership
• The Ontario Provincial Education Network
(OPEN) publication provides updates on
important education initiatives of interest
to parents.
• Ministry staff attend a variety of parent
meetings and conferences, including provincial
parent associations conferences/meetings and
regional meetings such as PIC and SEAC
meetings, to obtain feedback from parents on
educational topics.
• Effective practice is shared through the
ministry website. All of the projects approved
for funding through PRO grants are posted
and some are highlighted as examples of
successful practice.
Parent Engagement
in Action
École publique Le Coeur du Nord
in Kapuskasing organized an
open-door night that featured
workshops to help parents deal
with bullying issues. Non-Frenchspeaking parents were welcome,
and translation was provided.
There was also a daycare service
that allowed parents to bring
younger children with them.
• The Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF) identifies the fostering of
genuine, trusting relationships between students, staff, parents and
families, and communities as a key leadership practice of principals and
vice-principals. The OLF also highlights the practice of supporting
school councils so that they can participate actively and authentically in
their advisory roles.
Getting Involved
Although parent engagement takes many forms – at home and at
school – there are two formal structures in Ontario’s education
system that support parent engagement and provide parents with
a voice at the school and district school board levels:
• School councils focus on increasing parent involvement within
the school community as a key factor in supporting student
learning and achievement, and they act as a direct link between
parents and the school principal.
• Parent Involvement Committees enhance parent involvement
at the regional level in support of student achievement and
operate as a direct link between parents and the director of
education and trustees.
24
3. PARENT ENGAGEMENT ACTION PLAN
Fulfilling Ontario’s vision of parent engagement requires commitment and
action by all of our partners at every level of the education system.
Building on Sound Foundations
Parents in Ontario care about their children
and want to be involved. They want their
children to succeed in school and are willing to
help in as many ways as possible. Commitment
to our students’ well-being is the driving force
behind everything we do in education. The entire
education community – parents and families,
administrators, teachers, school staff, board
staff, and the government – shares this firm
commitment.
A true partnership requires sustained and
deliberate effort on the part of all partners as
well as commitment and action at every level of
the education system. Although parents can
sometimes find it challenging to play an active
role in their children’s education, it is important
to address such challenges so that Ontario’s
students have the support they need to be
successful in school and later in life.
Parent Engagement
in Action
Thunder Bay’s Ogden Community
Public School held a series of
three symposia for parents on
bullying-prevention strategies,
strategies for parents to support
literacy learning at home, and
math strategies for parents and
children. The symposia involved
Aboriginal guest speakers and
writers who shared their experiences
with the parents and children.
The staff of the Ontario Aboriginal
HIV/AIDS Strategy in Thunder Bay
provided additional insight on
bullying prevention, homophobia,
and acceptance.
Supporting Parent Engagement
The Parent Engagement Policy seeks to identify and break down barriers
to parent involvement and proactively reach out to parents. In order to
accommodate work schedules, outside commitments, and individual
preferences, the policy provides parents with choices about how they want
25
Parents in Partnership
to be involved in their children’s education. The policy is flexible, recognizing
the diversity of parents and their contributions. It provides tools to help
parents support parents at the local and regional levels – reinforcing, for
example, the vital link between parents and schools provided by school
councils and Parent Involvement Committees (PICs), and supporting the
pivotal role these groups play in disseminating information to parents,
seeking parent input, providing advice to schools and boards, and actively
supporting parent engagement.
The Ministry of Education is committed to supporting boards and schools
in enhancing parent involvement by providing the resources they need and
by recognizing and sharing effective practices and promoting the use of
such practices in every region of the province. Likewise, the ministry is
committed to providing supports to parents to help ensure that they are
informed and knowledgeable and are able to engage fully as partners in
their children’s education.
The Role of Communication
Respectful, ongoing communication and transparency are essential if we are
to fulfil our vision of parent engagement. Effective, ongoing communication
results in positive and respectful relationships and an appreciation of the
roles played by all partners in education. Multiple channels of communication
about student progress that connect boards, schools, parents and families,
students, and communities need to be in place, and all partners should be
encouraged to use them. An effective network includes clear two-way
channels for communications from home to
school and school to home.
A variety of methods should be used to
communicate with diverse parent communities,
from newsletters, emails, face-to-face meetings,
interactive websites, and online surveys to
phone trees, videos, and webcasts. We need to
utilize new and emerging technologies as we
seek to expand outreach strategies to engage
diverse families. Regardless of how it is
presented, all information for students as well
as parents and their families should be clear,
timely, useable, and linked to children’s
success in school.
26
Parent Engagement
in Action
The Bridges Project, developed by
Alexander Mackenzie Secondary
School in Sarnia, combined
school council meetings with a
series of parent workshops on
topics such as school pathways,
cyberbullying, and self-esteem.
Parents were encouraged to
attend both the meetings and the
workshops.
Parent Engagement Action Plan
Surveys can be a useful tool in fostering parent engagement. In Reach Every
Student: Energizing Ontario Education (2008), the government recognizes
the importance of regular board-level parent surveys designed to gauge,
and track over time, parent satisfaction with the quality of education.
In addition, school climate surveys provide schools with a tool to assess
perceptions of school safety from a parent perspective; they can then
inform the development of school improvement plans.
Parent engagement is also a vital component of the Equity and Inclusive
Education Strategy. As part of this strategy, boards include in their director’s
annual report information about their activities for engaging parents.
Realizing the Benefits of Parent Engagement
The Parent Engagement Policy acknowledges that schools and boards
across Ontario have implemented a wide variety of parent engagement
strategies and have many effective practices in place. We also recognize that
parent engagement takes many different forms as it continues to evolve in
our schools and boards and as it responds to
local needs and circumstances. Yet, much
remains to be done if we are to realize the
Parent Engagement
full potential of parent engagement. This is
in Action
particularly true at the local level, where supports
Iroquois Ridge High School in
are needed to connect parents to parents, teachers
Oakville initiated a program for
to parents, and schools and boards to parents
parents in the school community
and communities. We are bringing about change
in order to provide information
by talking with one another and taking action.
about parenting and teen issues
Together we are creating possibilities for our
such as sexual health, drugs and
children and transforming these possibilities
alcohol, and raising responsible
into a reality.
and self-confident teens. A support
The result of efforts to enhance parent engagement
will be beneficial for all of us – students, parents
and families, teachers, administrators, school
staff, and community partners – and result in
increased confidence for our students, their
families, and our education system as a whole.
Parents will be more supportive because they
understand more fully what is happening in
the classroom. Educators will have a stronger
connection with parents, feel supported by
network for parents was established,
and parents received information
about the school and its programs
as well as issues affecting teens
through different stages of
adolescence. Guest speakers
from community and public health
agencies were included in the
program.
27
Parents in Partnership
them, and have a higher level of job satisfaction. Schools will gain greater
recognition for their achievements and their valued role as an important
part of community life. The achievement of whole schools as well as
individual students can improve as students are supported to fulfil their
potential. Relationships built on a foundation of partnership and
cooperation have a positive impact on student learning and can help close
the achievement gap.
The actions summarized in the following sections will help realize our
promise to make Ontario a global leader in building and sustaining an
equitable and inclusive education system that is enhanced by strong
parental engagement.
School Actions
• Establish and sustain a positive learning culture and welcoming school
climate where parental input is welcomed, respected, and valued.
• Implement strategies to identify and remove discriminatory barriers that
limit engagement by students, parents, and our diverse communities.
• Actively explore and utilize opportunities (such as Parents Reaching Out
[PRO] grants) to further engage parents at school and at home to support
student achievement.
• Review existing parent and community partnerships and seek to expand
them to reflect the diversity of our parents and the broader community.
• Discuss learning expectations and students’ academic progress with
students and parents, and make efforts to assist parents who do not
understand the language of the school.
• Actively support and encourage school council members and other
parents to share their ideas for reducing the student achievement gap
and to help inform school improvement plans.
• Support strategies (e.g., workshops, resources such as tips sheets, and
translation of materials) for parents and students to develop skills and
knowledge that support a positive learning environment.
28
Parent Engagement Action Plan
• Work towards representation of diverse parent groups on all school
committees, including school councils.
• Implement the board Equity and Inclusive Education Policy, and its
programs and action plans, to support parent engagement and reflect
the needs of students and our diverse school communities.
• Monitor school climate (e.g., through surveys and focus groups) to
help identify barriers to parent involvement or issues that should be
addressed in order to foster and support a safe and welcoming learning
environment.
• Review self-assessment processes to determine the effectiveness of parent
engagement strategies.
• Communicate progress to the board and the local community including
educators, students, parents, and the public.
• Continue consulting with parents during the IEP/IPRC processes.
• Implement the directive of the aménagement linguistique policy for
French-language schools, which recommends that school boards and
school staff make a commitment to collaborate with parents so as to
develop a shared vision of lifelong learning and francophone identity
for students.
• Where schools are offering full-day kindergarten, inform parents about
this new initiative and explain how it will provide young students with a
stronger foundation for future learning.
Board Actions
• Establish and sustain a positive learning culture and welcoming school
climate where parental input is encouraged, respected, and valued.
• Identify and address barriers so that parents, diverse groups, and the
broader community have better board-level representation and greater
access to board initiatives.
• Actively promote the involvement and engagement (both formally and
informally) of parents with boards and schools, and encourage parents to
29
Parents in Partnership
share their ideas for improving student achievement and well-being to
support board planning (e.g., through Parent Involvement Committees,
Special Education Advisory Committees, school councils, focus groups,
and parent surveys).
• Support PICs in their role of providing advice on parent engagement to
support student achievement and well-being.
• Review existing parent and community partnerships and seek to expand
them to reflect the diversity of our parents and the broader community.
• Provide timely information about board and school policies, procedures,
and practices to students, parents, teachers, school staff, administrators,
volunteers, and the broader community, and make efforts to assist parents
who do not understand the language of the board.
• Support school councils and PICs in their efforts to reach out to and
further engage parents, students, school staff, and community members
in order to support student achievement and help close the achievement gap.
• Implement policies, programs, and action plans that reflect the principles
of equity and inclusive education, take the parent voice into account, and
reflect the needs of the board’s diverse school communities.
• Monitor parent engagement in ways that support and foster student
learning and achievement.
• Embed the principles of equity and inclusive education, which support
and value parent involvement, in their cyclical policy review so that
these principles will be an integral part of every board’s operations and
permeate everything that happens in schools.
• Provide opportunities for parents, students, administrators, teachers, and
school staff to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
needed to foster varied forms of parent engagement to support student
achievement and well-being.
• Communicate progress on parent engagement to the local community,
including educators, students, parents, and the public.
• Highlight parent engagement within the Equity and Inclusive Education
section on progress in the director’s annual report.
30
Parent Engagement Action Plan
• Encourage supervisory officers to demonstrate leadership skills identified
in the Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF) by engaging in dialogue
that builds community partnerships, including relations with parents,
and by collaborating and networking with others inside and outside the
board and across schools.
• Implement the proposal in the welcoming guideline of The Policy Statement
and Guidelines on the Admission, Welcoming, and Support of Students in
French-Language Schools in Ontario (2009) that school boards “set up,
as required, an advisory committee whose composition reflects the
community’s in order to develop a protocol for welcoming students
and parents” (p. 4).
• Implement the proposal in the support guideline of The Policy Statement
and Guidelines on the Admission, Welcoming, and Support of Students in
French-Language Schools in Ontario that school boards “ensure that
schools support and communicate with parents throughout their child’s
schooling” (p. 4).
• Follow the directive of the aménagement linguistique policy for Frenchlanguage schools that schools and school boards commit to providing
teachers with training in areas such as effective communication strategies,
strategies for welcoming parents in the classroom, and intercultural
understanding and dialogue.
• Inform parents of the schools that offer full-day kindergarten.
Ministry Actions
• Actively support and foster parent engagement through the Parent
Engagement Office in the Inclusive Education Branch.
• Consider parent perspectives and seek input from parents on policies
and programs that affect them and their children’s learning.
• Support the four provincial parent associations that work with parents
across the province: the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic
Education, the Ontario Federation of Home and School Associations,
Parents partenaires en éducation, and People for Education.
31
Parents in Partnership
• Value the contributions and perspectives of parent organizations and
groups as well as individual parents.
• Seek to identify and remove barriers to parent engagement that may
prevent some parents from fully participating in their children’s learning.
• Expand communication and outreach to share information and strategies
that will increase parent engagement in their children’s education at
home and at school.
• Provide funding and tools (e.g., guides) for the PRO grants program.
• Incorporate the principles of equity and inclusive education into the
PRO grants and refocus PRO funding to better help parents in high-needs
areas participate in their children’s education.
• Improve timelines for flowing PRO funding to school councils and regional
organizations to enable projects to begin earlier in the school year.
• Review the PRO grants program and evaluate its effectiveness.
• Conduct and disseminate research on promising practices that foster
parent engagement and that demonstrate the link between such
engagement and improved student achievement and well-being.
• Expand the number of Parenting and Family Literacy Centres in
high-needs communities.
• Engage parents and families in their children’s education and in the
education system through the ministry’s Full-Day Early Learning
Kindergarten Program.
• Provide funding through Grants for Students’ Needs for school boards
to support a wide range of parent engagement activities.
• Host annual meetings with PIC chairs to provide a forum for open
dialogue on their challenges and opportunities to enhance parent
engagement in our schools and to improve student achievement and
well-being.
• Provide training opportunities and develop resources and tools to
foster parent engagement and to encourage positive dialogue, skills,
and leadership among parents and committee members (e.g., on
32
Parent Engagement Action Plan
PICs and school councils), students, teachers, administrators, school
staff, and volunteers.
• Develop and post a sample survey to assist boards in their efforts to
monitor parent satisfaction related to parent involvement.
• Continue to enhance the ministry’s abc123 website and develop
additional tools and resources for parents to help them support their
children’s education at home.
• Use a variety of formal and informal methods and means (e.g., OPEN,
the annual meetings of PIC chairs, school councils, provincial parent
associations, and individual parents) to help ensure parent voice is heard
and valued.
• Update the guide for school council members.
• Develop and release a PIC guide.
• Provide support to boards and parents through parent engagement
representatives in each of the ministry’s regional offices.
• Compile and annually release a PIC chair directory to facilitate
communication among PICs and with the ministry.
• Enhance opportunities for parent participation through the regulatory
requirement that all boards have PICs.
• Develop and post surveys to gather input or feedback from parents on
curriculum in the curriculum review process.
• Develop and post a guide for parents at the time of release of revised
curriculum.
• Develop supports to help teachers use parent-friendly language on
students’ report cards.
• Provide information to parents to assist in understanding assessment,
evaluation, and reporting policies and procedures.
• Actively promote the Ontario Leadership Strategy, which encourages
schools and leaders in the education system to foster genuine, trusting
relationships with students, parents and families, staff, and communities.
33
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